Koeman wants these three players to replace departing Suarez, Busquets and Alba
New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has reportedly identified three players that would replace Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The former Everton manager who reportedly informed the three Barcelona veterans that there time at the Catalan giants have come to an end has drawn up three-man shortlist as their replacements.
A number of key players have been linked with moves away from the club, and Sport reports that offloading some of the higher earners remains Barcelona’s first priority.
However, after that Koeman has reportedly targeted a new central defender, a new left-back and a new striker.
Inter Milan striker Martinez, who has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou for a number of months now, would be the most expensive of those with Barca hopeful of striking a deal worth €65m (£58.7m) with players included on top of that.
Manchester City’s Eric Garcia, who came through the ranks at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, is expected to be significantly cheaper having entered the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and already indicated that he will not renew.
Koeman is also thought to want Valencia’s Jose Gaya, although his €50m (£45.1m) release clause could prove to be a sticking point in negotiations.
Meanwhile. after a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Messi’s future has been a source of plenty of speculation, which Koeman addressed earlier this week.
‘He’s still got a contract and is still a Barcelona player,’ said Koeman.
‘At this point I need to speak to him because he is the captain. We need to work with him and speak with various players. We need to make some decisions but in Messi’s case I hope he stays with us.
‘I don’t know if I have to convince Messi [to stay], whether it’s that or not. He is the best player in the world and the best player in the world you want in your team, you don’t want him playing against you.
‘As a coach I would love to work with Messi because he wins matches. If he’s at the ability and level he has always shown I’d be more than happy for him to stay.’
